Electric-railway system.



P. E; CASE. ELECTRIG RAILWAY SYSTEM."

APPLIOATION FILED NOV. 29, 1905.

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EL'EGTRIO RAILWAY SYSTEM. APPLICATION FILED NOV. 29, 1905,

Patented May 31, 1910.

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UNITED SATES ENT OFFICE.

FRANK E. CASE, OF SCHENECTADY, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TQ GENERAL ELECTRICCOMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

ELECTRIC-RAILWAY SYSTEM.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK E. CASE, a citizen of the United States,residing at Schenectady, county of Schenectady, and State of New York,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric- RailwaySystems, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to electric railways and particularly tosystems wherein different portions of the line are energized. by currentdiffering in character, as, for example, one section being supplied withalternating current and another section with direct current. In suchcombined alternating and direct current systems it is customary inpassing from one section to another, to vary the connections of systemsof the motor windings in order to make the motors operate efficiently oneither current; and also where, as is usually the case, the alternatingcurrent is of high potential and is transformed to a current of lowpotential by transformers on the cars the connections between the motorcircuits and the current collecting devices must be changed in passingfrom one section to another in order to include or exclude thetransformer, ast-he case may be. Heretofore these operations have beeneffected manually in whole or in part at least, thereby requiring theattention of the motorman during the passage from one section toanother.

The object of the present invention is to so construct and arrange theparts of the system of the character described that all the desiredchanges in the motor circuit and in the connections between the motorcircuits and the collecting devices may be automatically made while thecar is going from one section to another.

Further object of the present invention is to insure the deenergizationof the car circuits at the time the circuit changes are made in orderthat there may be no flow of current except under the proper circuitconditions.

To the above ends I have provided switch mechanisms on the cars adaptedto make the proper circuit changes, together with means forautomatically operating these switch mechanisms as the cars pass fromone section to another. The deenergization of the car circuits duringthese changes are insured by providing a dead section of considerablelength intermediate the supply sections and Specification of LettersPatent.

Application filed November 29, 1905.

Patented May 31, 1910.

Serial No. 289,591.

causing the operation of the switch mechanisms to take place while thecars are traversing the dead sections, and thus all dangertaken inconnection with the accompanyingclrawings showing preferred forms.

Reference being had to the drawings, Fig ure 1 shows a portion of arailway system arranged in accordance with the present invention, onecar being illustrated in the act of passing between adjacent sections;Fig.

2 is a detail; Fig. 3 illustrates diagram matically circuits of a singlecar and the switch mechanism for changing the connections of saidcircuits and Fig. 4 illustrates dlagrammatically one car equipmenthaving switch mechanism arranged not only to change the connection ofthe motor circuit of the supply conductor but also to alter theelectrical condition of the motor circuit.

Similar reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout thespecification and drawings.

1 indicates a car running upon rails 2 and having a trolley or othercurrent collecting device 3 which engages with a supply conductor 4C; 5and 6 indicate respectively the adjacent ends of two sections of thesupply conductor which are energized by currents differing in character;7 is a short section connected to but insulated from the sections 5 and6. At any convenient point intermediate the ends of the section 7 islocated a stop or projection 8 arranged to strike against the arms of astar wheel carried by the car. The star wheel is connected to andoperates the circuit changing switch mechanism on the car as will behereinafter de scribed. Assuming that the car is leaving section 5, thecar circuit is de'elnergized by reason of the collecting device enteringupon dead section 7, and thereafter one arm of the star wheel 9,striking against the stop 8,

to connect sections 5 and 6 together.

produces a rotation of the star wheel through a definite angle. Thismovement of the star wheel and connected mechanism changes the variouscircuits and connections so that when the collecting device comes intoengagement with 6 the equipment is ready to operate on the particularcurrent supplied by this section.

The dead section 7 need be of such length only as to insure theoperation of the switch mechanism while the current collecting device isisolated from the supply sections and ordinarily, therefore, the car maypass beyond the dead section by virtue of the momentum acquired beforereaching it. In case, however, the car should come to rest upon a deadsection, it is desirable that some means be provided for supplying itwith current in order that it may proceed under its own motive power. Tothis end I have provided means for temporarily connecting the deadsection to either section 5 or section 6, as by means of a double throwswitch 10 which is arranged to connect wire 7 either to wire 5 or towire 6*. By using a single switch it is made impossible for the operatorThe movable member of the switch 10 is also preferably held in a centralinoperative position normally by means of springs 11, so that thesection 7 will not remain energized inadvertently after the switch hasbeen operated to permit a car to proceed.

In Fig. 3, M and M indicate two car motors, O a motor controller and T atransformer. S is a switch, the movable member of which is connected tothe star wheel 9, and this switch is provided with contacts 8, s and swhich either connect the current collecting device directly to the motorcircuit or make the connection through the transformer T. In the onecase the primary of the transformer is cut out while in the other it isconnected to trolley.

In Fig. 4: I have illustrated a four-motor car equipment arranged tooperate on alternating and direct currents, the system being providedwith a commutating switch which connects the motor circuit eitherdirectly to trolley or to a compensator and at the same time changes therelative connections of the field windings and provides connectionswhereby the motor controller may respectively insert variable amounts ofresistance in the motor circuit or connect the motors to difierentpoints on the compensator. This system is the same as that set forth inPatent No. 806,752 granted on the 5th day of December, 1905, on anapplication filed by Jesse S. Pevear, except that in the present casethe commutating switch has no off position and is provided with twodirect current running positions and two alternating current runningpositions. Also, in the present system the main switches areincorporated in the commutating switch instead of being separatetherefrom. The contacts are so located that each rotation of thecylinder through effects the circuit changes necessary when changingfrom one current to another.

The four motors are indicated by M, M M and M and each motor has anarmature A and main field coils E and F. G is the commutating switch andR S the reversing 7 switch. K is a controller for governing the speed ofthe motors either by varying the amount of the resistance R in the motorcircuit or by varying the point of connection of the motor circuit withthe compensator B. These parts and their organization are the same as inthe patent referred to and will not be described at length herein. Thecommutating switch comprises fixed contacts l-22; two rows of movablecontacts, g g g5 9 etc. to g; and two rows of movable contacts, g, g 9etc. to 9 The movable contacts are mounted upon a cylinder which isillustrated in developed form, as is also the controller cylinder. Wheneither of the series of contacts gg are in engagement with the fixedcontacts the motors are arranged to be connected directly to trolley inseries with resistance R and with the field coils E and F in series witheach other. lVhen either of the other two series of movable contacts isin engagement with the fixed contacts, the compensator B is introducedbetween the motors and trolley and the field windings E and F areconnected in parallel with each other. It is of course understood thatthe commutating switch G is adapted to be operated through theengagement of a star wheel or other device with the stop 8 as previouslydescribed, so that all the circuit changes are made automatically as thecar traverses the dead section.

lVhat I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of theUnited States, is,-

1. In an electric railway, two adjacent supply conductor sectionsenergized by currents differing in character, an intermediate sectionbetween said supply sections and insulated therefrom, and a switch forelectrically connecting said intermediate section to either of saidsupply sections.

2. In an electric railway, two supply conductor sections energized bycurrents difiering in character, an intermediate conductor sectionbetween said supply conductor sections and insulated therefrom, and aswitch for connecting said intermediate section electrically to eitherof said supply sections and arranged to prevent said intermediatesection from being connected electrically to both supply sections at thesame time.

3. In an electric railway, two supply conductor sections energized bycurrents differing in character, an intermediate conductor sectionbetween said supply sections and insulated therefrom, a switch andconnections to connect said intermediate section electrically to eithersupply section, and means for normally maintaining said switch in aninoperative position wherein said intermediate section is disconnectedelectrically from both supply sections.

4. In an electric railway, two supply conductor sections, anintermediate conductor section between said supply conductor sectionsand insulated'therefrom, a stop or projection arranged adjacent theroadway between the ends of said intermediate section for operatingswitch mechanism on a car traversing said intermediate section, andmeans for electrically connecting said intermediate section to either ofsaid supply conductor sections.

' 5. In an electric railway, a track, supply conductor sectionsenergized by currents differing in character, a normally dead conductorsection intermediate said supply sections, a car having a motor or agroup of motors adapted to be operated by current from either supplysection, switch mechanism arranged to vary the electrical conditions ofthe motor circuit, and the connection between the motor circuit and thesupply conductors, means located at a fixed point along said track forautomatically operating said switch mechanism while the car is on thedead section, and a switch for electrically connecting said dead sectionto either of said supply conductor sections.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this 28th day ofNovember, 1905.

FRANK E. CASE. l/Vitnesses:

BENJAMIN B. HULL, HELEN ORFORD.

